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The Council: An Unexpected Arrival
Rated PG An Unexpected Arrival is the second story in The Council. Chapter 1 "My brother?" Anna asked loudly, completely in shock. "Hello Anna." The boy - Daniel - said with a smile. He held out his hand. "I'm Daniel." "You are not my brother." "Yes I am, Anna. Let me explai-" "No. NO!" Anna screamed. "You are not my brother. The closest thing to a brother I have is Sam!" She gestured at Sameth, who was standing by her side protectively. Daniel glared at him for a moment, before turning his eyes back towards Anna. "He may seem like your brother, but he isn't. I'' am. I promise I will explain everything to you over dinner." "You don't have to decide right now, Anna." Mrs. Waltham said softly. "Think it over and I'll let him know." Anna nodded. Daniel stood up and held Felicia's hand. "Till we meet again, Anna." They walked swiftly out of the room. Lindsey shut the door behind them; during the conversation her and Liam were stnding by the door, feeling as if they were intruding. "A brother." Anna began. "A ''brother?" She turned to Mrs. Waltham and Sameth. "Did you two know about this?" She demanded. "I didn't." Sameth replied. "I mean, there was something about him in the computer file, but I didn't know it was true. If I had known I would've told you. You know that." "Computer file?" Mrs. Waltham asked sternly. "You broke into my office and stole a file?" "We had to know what you were hid--" "Stop changing the subject!" Anna shouted. "Did you know about this?" She asked Mrs. Waltham, who sighed deeply. "Yes, Anna I did. But I couldn-" "Couldn't what?" Anna said, her voice as sharp as her knife. "You had three years to tell me. But you didn't." She stormed out of the room. A brother. How could she have a brother and not know about him? Why wouldn't her parents have told her about him? These are the things that ran through Anna's mind as she made her way out of the main building. She hesitated in the courtyard before deciding to go the Training area; shooting helped clear her mind. She found the furthest target and pulled out her handgun. Five shots were made; only one hit its target. "You okay?" Anna turned around suddenly, her gun still in hand, to see Bela Gledhill; Liam's sister. "Bela." she said with a sigh of relief. "I'm fine." "You sure? I've never seen you miss four out of five shots." "I'm fine, Bela." Anna snapped. After a moment of silence, she continued. "Sorry. Its just, I just found out that I do have another family member. He asked me to go to dinner with him, to explain why I didn't know about him." "That's great!" Bela replied with a smile. "I know you're nervous, but you can't miss out on this opportunity. Maybe you could ask someone to go with you; someone you feel comfortable with." Anna stared, not having a reply. "Think about it." Bela said softly before leaving the training room. Anna sat on one of the benches and sighed. After a moment or two, she stood up, and made her way back towards the main building, hoping Mrs. Waltham was still in her office. A few minutes later, she found herself outside the office door. She could hear voices from inside. ..."didn't you tell me?" Sameth stated loudly. Anna could almost feel the fury is his voice. "You should have told me! We could have protected her from him." "You are not obliged to know everything I know, Sameth." Mrs. Waltham countered sternly. Her voice was ice-cold. "Maybe you should both just calm down." Lindsey said helplessly. Just then, Ann decided to barge in. "Anna." Mrs Waltham said, her voice considerably softer that a moment ago. "Have you had time to clear your head and decided what you want?" Anna nodded slowly. "I'll go to dinner with Daniel...but I'd like appreciate it if somebody came with me." She glanced at Sameth. "Of course I'' will." He said immediately. "And Lindsey too?" It was a question, but not directed at Lindsey. "Sure." Anna replied. "If she wants too?" "I wouldn't miss it." Lindsey stated with a grin. "Then it's settled." Mrs. Waltham said, almost grimly. "I'll let Daniel know." "Oh, one more thing." Lindsey started. "Which restaurant are we going to? I need to know what to wear." Sameth stared at her. "I didn't think you were the type to worry about what to wear." "I'm not." She said and gave him a smile. "I just need to know what size bow I should be bringing." They walked off together laughing, and after a few minutes Anna could have sworn she saw them link arms. ---- Dinner reservations were made for the next day, in a restaurant a few streets away from The Council's HQ. While the rest of their dorm went to the mess hall for dinner, Anna, Sameth, and Lindsey dressed up in their smartest clothes. Anna saw Lindsey hide her collapsible crossbow in her black boots, which went surprisingly well with her extravagant, red dress. She also saw Sameth hide a handgun in his suit-jacket pocket. ''Why not... she thought to herself as she strapped her knife onto her belt, under her jacket. Who knows what Daniel and his girlfriend could be hiding. Sameth drove swiftly towards the restaurant, and they were there a few minutes early. "Before we go in," Anna began at the door. "I just wanted to thank you guys. For coming with me." "Of course, Anna." Lindsey said with a smile. "Anything for you, Ann." Sameth said with his wide grin. "Besides, as if I was going to let you come here alone. We don't know who this guy is. I figured you'd be safer with your brother." He added pointedly, and Anna realized that he felt threatened as her brother; as if she was going to suddenly start to hate him. "Yes. I'm always safer with my brother." Anna answered with a smile, and Sameth's shoulder relaxed. They all walked in, Anna first and Sameth and Lindsey a few meters behind her. Daniel and Felicia were sitting around a table near the back of the restaurant. "Anna!" He said as they made their way towards the table. "So glad you could make it." His eyes widened considerably at the sight of Lindsey and Sameth. "Surprised to see us?" Lindsey asked confidently. "Surprisingly, yes." Daniel replied, his jaws clenched. "I was under the impression that Anna was coming alone." "Well your impression was wrong." Sameth snapped, equally as sternly. They all settled down into their seats. "So Anna." Daniel began. "I think I owe you an explanation. You see, I never really had a "strong" relationship with our parents. When I was around nine, you were born. You were the cutest little baby." He paused, as if expecting a reaction. Anna didn't want to give him the satisfaction, so she kept her face solemn. Although under the table her hand reached out and grasped Sameth's, who gave her an encouraging nod. Daniel decided to continue. "When I was twelve - you were three - I had a really huge argument with our parents. And then I left. Didn't come back. I presume they didn't mention me, which is why you didn't know about me. Anyway, I went on the run, fighting monsters on my way, and When I was eighteen, I met Felicia." "Yes, he did." Felicia said with a smile. "He saved me from a monster attack, and explained what had happened. After that, I joined him on his monster-hunting adventure." "I didn't hear about John and Maria's deaths until a few weeks ago; if I had known, I would have come. I really want to get to know you, Anna." He reached for her hand but she pulled it back. Sameth suppressed a smile. "Look Daniel." Anna began. "I understand what you're saying; really, I do. But I just can't- I just-" "Its okay, Anna." He replied with a smile. "I get it. You need time. Maybe we could go out or a whole day, tomorrow? I could take you ice skating; or bowling!" "Yeah, um, I'll think about it." Anna said hesitantly. "Great!" Daniel beamed. Underneath the table, Anna's grip was tightening rapidly on Sameth's hand, and he knew it meant she was close to tears. "We have to go." Sameth said quickly as he stood up. "Why?" Lindsey started. "We haven't even ordere-" She stopped herself when she glanced at Anna and saw her expression. "Thank you for a lovely evening." She gave Daniel a smile. They rushed out of the restaurant and into Sameth's car. "Hey, hey." Sameth began, directed at Anna. "Its okay." Tears were rolling down her face. "I know." She answered with a shaky laugh. "I don't really know why I'm crying." "Its just been a very emotional couple of days." Lindsey said slowly. "Perfectly normal." "Yeah, I guess." Anna replied. "Let's just go back home." Lindsey drove them towards The Council's HQ, Sameth and Anna sitting in the back. Chapter 2 The next morning, Anna rushed to have breakfast while everyone else went to training, not wanting to talk about the previous night's events. Afterwards, she made her way back to her dorm room. She was a few meters away when she heard Daniel's voice. She crouched behind the door. "Where's Anna?" He asked. "Not here." Sameth replied. "And even if she was, I wouldn't tell you." Daniel laughed loudly. "You've got an attitude on you, now don't you? I just wanted to see if she wanted to go ice skating today. Maybe get ice cream afterwards." "This is England." Sameth started. "Its too cold for ice cream. Are you trying to get her sick?" Anna heard the tightness in Daniel's voice. "I just want to spend the day with my sister." "No." Sameth began. "No. Don't you dare call her your sister." "Well, its the truth, Sammy. Nothing you can do about it. I'm her brother; not you." Sameth scoffed. "Why do you think I've been looking out for her? Its because I care. I care enough to be there for her when she cries. I care enough to make a fool out of myself just to see her smile. You can't just waltz in here and start acting all "brotherly." You may be her biological brother, but I'm more of a brother to her than you'll ever be." Daniel stormed out of the room after that; he failed to notice Anna behind the door. Anna felt a sudden rush of affection towards Sameth. Of course he was her real brother; DNA doesn't make a family. Love does. She stood up and walked into the room. Sameth was lying down on his bed. "Hey." Anna said with a smile. "Hey, Ann." He said as he jumped out of bed. "Not going to training?" "No." She said quietly. "I don't really feel like training today." "Well then..." he said, his grin flashing on his face. "Wanna do something fun?" "Like?" "Like looking for supplies and planning a prank for Lindsey's birthday later this month?" Anna laughed. "Sounds great." ---- A few hours later, they arrived back at The Council's HQ, with bags full of joke-related items. The rest of their dorm was in their room, sitting around. Jack still hadn't spoken since Allen and Sophie's death, and Danielle wouldn't speak to anyone except Jack; even though she did not expect a reply. When Anna and Sameth entered their room, the twins ran up to them. "We spoke to this man today!" Alex said loudly. "Man?" Sameth asked sharply. "What man?" "He was wearing a dark jacket." Jamie began. "And he looked a little like Anna." Anna's eyes widened. "What did he say to you?" Sameth asked in the same sharp tone. "I-I don't know." Jamie began, clearly flustered by Sameth's tone. "He was just asking some questions. About what we were doing here, and about the prophecy." "He was really interested in the prophecy." Alex added. "But we told him we don't know anything about it, other than it might have something to do with us." "Great." Sameth said gruffly. "Just great. I knew we couldn't trust him." "What?" Anna said, completely shocked. "It might not even be Daniel! And even if it is, he's just curious. What's wrong with that?" "No one is ever "just curious" when it comes to a prophecy." Sameth snapped. "He's either planning on going after Pontus alone, or he's working for him." "How can you say that?" Anna said, fuming. She threw the bags onto the floor at his feet. "You know nothing about him!" "Oh, because you know so much!" Sameth shouted back. "Did you not think that he could be a spy for Pontus?" "When he first showed up, yes. But-" "But nothing!" Sameth almost screeched. "Your first instinct was that he was an enemy, and when did you start to distrust your instincts?" Chapter 3 Anna didn't speak to Sameth that whole week. She couldn't believe how unfair he was being. Daniel was most likely just curious. It was the only logical conclusion. Wasn't it? "Have you bought Lindsey a birthday present yet?" Bela asked her, interrupting her train of thought. "Hm?" Anna replied, clearly not listening. "Sorry." She said hastily. "I have a lot on my mind. But no, I haven't bought her anything yet." "Neither have I. Maybe we could go out today and get her something together?" "I have somewhere I need to be." Anna said in a rush. "Sorry." She sprinted out of the dorm room and ran head-first into a girl, aged around seventeen. "Sorry, I'v--" Anna began, but the girl interrupted. "Have you seen Sameth?" Anna's jaw clenched; she was still seething with anger about their argument. "No, but I'd be happy to pass on a message." The girl's eyes shifted around, as if she was nervous. "Just tell him that Allison came by - he'll know who I am - and I think I've found it; what we were looking for." "Okay," Anna began slowly, but the girl was already gone. Anna continued to make her way towards the courtyard, where Lindsey was waiting inside a borrowed car. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked, as soon as Anna was in sight. "I need to know why he was inquiring about the prophecy." "Alright then." Lindsey began. "Hop in." ---- They drove swiftly towards the restaurant that Anna had agreed to meet at when she called Daniel the previous night. He was happy to oblige, seemingly pleased that she had called. Lindsey parked the car and they both clambered out and into the restaurant. Daniel was sitting at the same table as last time, but to Anna's surprise, this time he was alone. "Where's Felicia?" Lindsey began as she sat down. "Did she finally realize that you're nothing but trouble?" Anna glared at her, but Daniel gave a humorless laugh. "Felicia had...other plans." He said, and Anna could hear the hesitation in his voice. "Now what can I do for you?" He added, giving a sly smile. "Nothing really," Anna began. "How hav-" "What do you want to know about the prophecy and why?" Lindsey interrupted with a sigh. "Way to go straight to the point." Anna muttered to her. Daniel laughed again, just as humorlessly as before. "No pleasantries, I see. Very well. If you must know, I am an expert in Greek mythology; I work at a museum, and I was just interested. Curious, if you want." "Uh-huh." Lindsey said quickly, clearly not believing him. Before she could say anything else, Anna stood up. "Let's go." She said quickly. "Thank you for your time, Daniel." She began to drag Lindsey away, towards the door. "Yeah," Lindsey began loudly to him. "That you for your time, you--" Anna covered Lindsey's mouth before she could finish her sentence. She didn't remove her hand until they were back in the car. "You don't actually believe him, do you?" Lindsey said slowly. It...seems plausible." Anna said hesitantly. "Plausib- How on earth does it seem plausible?" Lindsey began angrily, as she drove down the street. "So it's such a coincidence that he happened to come find you right after we find the prophecy? And its such a coincidence that Daniel was asking about the prophecy? The same prophecy that could save or destroy the world, I might remind you." Anna was silent for a minute, before answering. "If you didn't think he might be innocent, then why did you come?" Her voice was surprisingly calm. "I wasn't exactly going to let you go meet him alone." Lindsey replied, almost automatically. They were now almost at The Council's car park. "That's exactly what Sam said, the first time we went." Anna began, her tone of voice rising. "He asked you to take me, didn't he? And it wasn't so that I could have piece of mind about my brother. It was so that he could find out whether Daniel was lying. Wasn't it?" Anna almost spit the last two words out. Lindsey didn't reply, but that was enough of an answer for Anna. The car parked, and she opened the door and jumped out. "Well, since you're basically his messenger, tell him this for me." Anna's voice was acidic. "I can't believe I ever imagined that he was my brother." At that, she slammed the door, and ran into the Dorm rooms. Chapter 4 Anna regretted what she had said the moment she had reached her room. The room was empty, and she collapsed onto her bed, feeling miserable. There was no way that's how she felt. It was just a moment of anger. After about ten minutes, people began to enter the room. Bela and Danielle entered side by side; Bela seemed like she was about to walk up to Anna but, seeing her expression, decided to just make her way to her bed. The twins entered a minute later, Jack right behind them. Then came Sameth. His jaw was clenched. Other than a glance at Anna when he first entered the room, he didn't make contact with her at all. Anna felt a strange feeling in the middle of her chest. It was a horrible feeling, and Anna knew it had something to do with Sameth. It was as if something was now broken between them. A connection they used to have, severed by her harsh words. Sameth jumped onto his bed - the one above Anna's - and sat there, his legs dangling over the edge. The others in the room were aware of the tension between Anna and Sameth, but continued to chat away as if nothing was wrong. After around half an hour, neither Sameth nor Anna had moved; the only movement that was being made in their corner of the room was Sameth's gentle swinging of his legs. Finally, Anna couldn't take it anymore. She clambered up on to his bed and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry." Anna said quickly, before he could leave or interrupt. "I didn't mean what I said before; you know I didn't mean what I said before. You are my brother - my only brother - and I-I lo-" She stopped herself. She couldn't do it. Couldn't yet say those three words that showed the greatest affection. Not when the last people she said it to were her parents. Anna feared that Sameth would take her hesitancy as a sign of disloyalty, but Sameth was extremely forgiving. "I get that he's your brother, Anna." Sameth began, placing his arm around her shoulder. "I just don't want you to get too caught up with him; I mean, you barely know the guy. I just want you to be safe. So always be on guard when you're around him. Here." He added, passing her a glass of water. "I didn't think you'd get a good night's sleep tonight, so I put a sleeping pill in the water. Anna nodded, and drank the contents of the glass. After a few moments, she felt drowsy, and collapsed on to Sameth's bed. A yawn escaped from her mouth, and she could vaguely hear everyone else getting ready for bed. ---- Anna awoke at dawn, and everybody was still sleeping. She assumed that Sameth would have gone down to her bed, and was surprised to see him lying down beside her, his mouth slightly open. Then she remembered that he hated sleeping on the bottom bunk, and laughed quietly. She slipped off of the bed, and made her way to the bathroom, picking up some clothes on the way. When she had finished from the bathroom, around half an hour later, she decided to go and speak to Mrs Waltham; she had known Daniel before, and might be able to help her decide whether he was lying or not. Anna sprinted out of the Dorms and found herself in the courtyard. The sun was beginning to rise, and not many people were up and about yet. She was about to enter HQ when suddenly a young boy sprinted past her, with security guards behind him shouting "Stop him!" Immediately Anna's hunter instincts kicked in. She pulled out her knife - her gun being still in her room - and chased after the boy. Anna was by far faster than the security guards, who usually relied on their long-range weapon skills. However, they couldn't shoot this man, most likely because he looked like he was just under eighteen; not yet old enough to be shot on campus. The boy was admittedly fast, tearing through the courtyard like a bullet. Anna had had many training sessions like this, forcing them to test their limit. I can run faster than this, Anna thought, while also thinking that if she caught the boy, maybe everybody would finally see her as a real hunter. The boy was almost off of The Council's property; Anna used a final resort, and threw her knife at him, aiming at his leg. Time seemed to slow down around her, and those few seconds when the knife was in the air were almost painful. The knife hit its target and time sped up. The boy collapsed on to the ground with a stifled scream, and Anna sprinted up to him. She turned him over, but did not recognize him. The security guards were closing in, and she knew she might not get a chance to question him if they took him a way. "Who are you?" She asked quickly. "What did you do?" The boy smiled sickly. "I am your worst nightmare." His voice rasped familiarly. "As to what I was doing; you will find out soon enough, my loose string." The boy shuddered violently and collapsed onto the floor. Anne knew then why the voice was so familiar; Pontus had possessed the boy. Chapter 5 From the moment the boy collapsed, Anna knew Pontus had left; abandoned the boy. The security guards took him to be interrogated, and Anna returned to her dorm. Although it was still early in the morning, almost everybody was awake. The moment she walked into the room Sameth sprinted to her and gave her a hug. When they separated, he started scolding her. "What were you thinking?" He said with a frown. "You could have been hurt- Or worse; killed!" Lindsey rolled her eyes. "C'mon Sam! You're starting to sound like one of those old protective fathers! All she did was take down an enemy spy; you should be proud, not angry." After that, Sameth was quiet and let the others praise Anna, albeit reluctantly. After a few minutes, Mrs Waltham walked into the room, asking to take Anna up to interrogate the spy, if she wants to. Sameth began to demand he goes as well, but Mrs. Waltham wouldn't hear it. "Alone, Sameth. She can interrogate the spy, alone." "Fine," Sameth began. "But if she isn't back in an hour then I'm coming to look for her." "Very well." Mrs. Waltham said, and Anna could have swore she saw her roll her eyes. As they made their way out of the Dorms towards HQ, Anna took her chance. "Emily," Anna began, hesitantly. "Could Daniel...be lying?" Mrs. Waltham knew immediately what she was talking about; they had told her that Daniel was looking for the prophecy. "Maybe, Anna." She began. "Maybe. Daniel was always a - rebellious - boy. He would do exactly the opposite of what his parents - your parents - told him to. Which is why it wasn't a surprise that when they told him to go to his room he left The Council completely. Daniel could very well simply be curious, but there is also the possibility that he is a spy." "But what's your opinion?" Anna asked. "My opinion?" Mrs, Waltham seemed shocked. "I think we should keep an open mind; give Daniel the benefit of the doubt. After all, back then, he never truly did anything wrong. Just rebelled against his parents. Albeit, he was a few years early for the "rebellious" stage, but he never really caused trouble." By then, they had reached the basement of HQ, where prisoners would be kept. The young boy that was a spy for Pontus was standing in a cell, begging to be released. "I didn't do anything!" He screamed. "I don't know what happened!" Anna opened the door to his cell, being careful not to let him escape. She closed the door after her, and walked up to the boy. When he saw her, he almost lunged at her, but apparently decided against it. "I didn't do anything!" He screamed again, and, to her own surprise, Anna believed him. "I know," she began. "I know you didn't do anything. I believe you." At these words, the boy seemed to find reassurance. His breathing slowed and his expression was relaxed. Anna sat him down on to the cell bed, and sat beside him. "Now," She began. "Is there anything you remember? Anything at all?" "I remember....a voice." The boy began. "It was very raspy and deep. I heard it in my head, forcing me to do things; things I didn't want to do!" The boy began to panic again, and it took Anna several minutes to return him to his peaceful state. "Its okay." She said in a soothing tone. "Do you remember anything else? Anything important?" "I-I remembe-" The boy stuttered, before going silent. "Its okay. You can tell me. What do you remember?" He sighed deeply, before continuing. "I remember a name - only a first one. Someone that the raspy voice was very proud of." "What was the name?" Anna insisted. "Daniel. The name was Daniel." Chapter 6 Anna sat on the bed motionless. She didn't hear everyone calling her name. She didn't hear the bed creak when the boy stood up, screaming. She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat. All she could hear were those words. Those five words. Daniel. The name was Daniel. Surely it's a coincidence? She thought to herself. I mean, its not like Daniel isn't a very common name. Maybe its not Daniel Gilbert. Who are you kidding? Another part of her thought. It ''can't be a coincidence. Daniel Gilbert hears the prophecy, and now Pontus is proud of a Daniel. Who else could it be?'' She snapped back to reality and felt someone shake her shoulders; Sameth. His eyebrows were scrunched with worry. When she opened her eyes, his sigh of relief was clearly audible. "Anna!" He shouted before attacking her with a hug. When they detached, his face was stern. "What happened? What did he tell you that almost made you go into a coma?" She suddenly realized that they were back in their room, and Lindsey was standing by the door. Anna nodded for her to come in, and Lindsey closed the door behind her. "He said he heard a voice," Anna began. "Pontus' voice. In his head. And he remembered a name." The words were now spilling out of her mouth. She wasn't planning on telling anyone that Daniel was most likely a spy, but now she couldn't stop herself. "What name?" Sameth persisted. "Daniel." Anna said, in a barely audible whisper. Time seemed to slow again afterwards. She could see it dawn on his face, see the anger building up. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the biggest "I told you so" she could hear, but it never came. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and saw Sameth, sitting in the exact same position. He seemed to have control over his anger. "We need to find Daniel." He said, his voice as calm as possible. Although his fist was clenched. "No need." A voice spoke behind them; Daniel. "You." Sameth spat, and he would have lunged at Daniel if Lindsey wasn't holding him back. "You've got a lot of nerve, showing up back here." Lindsey said, her voice acidic. "Your secret's out." "Oh, I know." Daniel said, a hint of a smile growing on his lips. "I'm just here to pass on a warning. Then I'll be out of your hair; for now." "Ha!" Sameth scoffed, reaching out and pressing the button behind the door. "Security are on their way right now." "And I'll be gone before they get here." Daniel added. Just then, Lindsey tokk a chance and lunged at him. They scuffled for a moment before Daniel pushed her back. Something small and shiny was now in Lindsey's hand. "Be warned." Daniel said roughly. "We are coming." Before anyone could reply, Daniel spread his arms out and spoke a quick incantation. Water began to spout out of his fingers, surrounding him, until he was completely concealed in a cylinder of water. The water began swirling around him, until he was almost indistinguishable. Lindsey seemed to understand what was happening before anybody else did; she just had time to pull Sameth and Anna down to the floor before the water-cylinder exploded and doused everything in sight with boiling hot water. When they stood up, Daniel was gone. "Did the hot water get anyone?" Lindsey asked, receiving a shake of heads as a response. Sameth suddenly began to sprint off, before noticing that no one was following him, and stopping at the door. "Well, aren't you coming?" He said quickly. "We are coming. We need to tell someone!" He continued to sprint and Anna and Lindsey followed, running towards Mrs. Waltham's office. They were halfway through the courtyard when a great tremor passed through The Council. They stared at the entrance in the distance. "The archaic symbols stop monsters from entering, right?" Anna asked, hoping for reassurance. "Yeah, nothing can enter-" Sameth was cut off by what sounded like a giant piece of glass breaking. Security guards at the border were screaming "We've been infiltrated!" ""Yeah, nothing can enter,"" Lindsey mocked, as she pulled out her collapsible bow. Sameth glared at her as he, along with Anna, pulled out their respective weapons. Chapter 7 The battle didn't last very long, although it felt like forever. Monsters swarmed through The Council, being taken out by hunters. Anna, Lindsey, and Sameth fought side by side, and it was as if they had trained together for years; which of course, they have. Hunters were trained to never show fear, which is why everyone stopped when they heard somebody scream. Anna turned around just in time to see something very human bite into a defenseless hunter with fangs. "Vampires?" Anna asked as she impaled a hellhound with her knife. "They're real?" "Everything's real." Lindsey replied, shooting an arrow at the creature; it was too late for the hunter. Eventually, all of the monsters were destroyed. It was eerily silent. "Is that it?" Anna asked. "Is it over? What was Daniel thinking, sending monsters to attack a monster hunter society. That was easy." "You're right." Lindsey said, her voice alert. She nocked another arrow onto her bow. "Too easy." They stood back to back, while Sameth walked up to Liam, who had joined the fight halfway through. Anna kept her eye on the entrance, and managed to glimpse a human-like shape making its way towards them. "Who's that?" She stated loudly, grabbing everybody's attention. They all stared. "I am Pontus." He said, and ignoring everybody's gasps, continued. "No, I have not risen. Although I am very close to. This is a host that I am borrowing; a vessel, if you will. You have something that belongs to me." He swept his hand forward, and water erupted from the ground. The water formed aquatic cages around everybody, except for Anna and Lindsey. "Anna Gilbert." Pontus began. "My Loose String. Our first true meeting. I hope I'm not under-dressed." Anna smirked at him, ignoring Lindsey's raised eyebrow. "What are you here for, Pontus?" Anna stated, her voice shaking. "Not what, mortal. Who." Anna gasped, realizing then what Pontus wanted. The prophecy. Or part of it, anyway. The twins. "Quick!" She said to Lindsey. "Go get the twi-" "It is too late, young one." Pontus said slowly. "I already have what I want. I just came here to thank you; if it wasn't for you, Daniel would have no excuse for being in The Council." Anna let that sink in as Pontus turned to water and splashed onto the floor. "Where's Alex?" A voice spoke behind them. Not wanting to hope, Anna turned around slowly. There he was. Jamie. She ran up to him and hugged him. "He didn't get them both." She herd somebody say behind her, but it was drowned out by Jamie's screams for his sister. Chapter 8 ~One Week Later~ "I can't believe you still threw this party after everything that happened." Lindsey said, although it was clear she was happy that the said party had been thrown. "Well, I thought we all deserved a break." Sameth replied. Anna was sitting on her bed, when she suddenly remembered the girl that was asking about Sameth. "A girl was looking for you, a few weeks ago." Anna told him. "I forgot to tell you, what with everything that happened. Her name was Allison, and she said that she thinks she's found whatever it is you were both looking for." He suddenly straightened and sat up. "Where is she? Has anyone seen her?" "Yeah," Lindsey began. "She left for Toronto this morning. Said she'd be back as soon as she could." Sameth reseated himself and sighed deeply, clearly distraught. Lindsey took that moment to bring out something red and small from her pocket; a USB. "I grabbed this from Daniel," She began. "When we were fighting. Its password protected. I've been trying to hack into it, but no luck yet." "Keep trying." Anna said, just as Lindsey dragged her off into a corner. "What was Pontus talking about? 'My Loose String'?" "Oh." Anna began. "I have no idea." She lied, although Anna knew Lindsey could tell. Before Lindsey could question her further, Liam grabbed her and took her off to cut the cake. They all gathered round, and Anna was glad that everyone was happy. Although she couldn't help feeling that it wouldn't last. Category:The Council Category:Albus Chase Category:Original Idea Category:Complete